Night Thoughts
by Sonri
Summary: The thoughts of a given crew member on the captain's return to action in "Night".
1. Chapter 1

**Night Thoughts**

**by Sonri  
**

Disclaimer: No, I don't own them. I'm sure not making money off this. Why do I do this, then? Because my muse won't shut up, and it might if I actually write it down.

_Author's Note: I find it immensely entertaining to watch an episode from the point of view of one of the characters, to think of what would have been running through their mind. I also think that even in the 24th century, the concept of the "winter time blues" due to lack of light still apply in their own way. Anyway, in that vein, I'm taking on the reaction of the crew to the captain's return to action in "Night"._

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_**Neelix**

The corridor was dark, and Neelix was just beginning to get enough air in his lungs. That light from the wrist beacon on Commander Chakotay's arm was not much to pin one's comfort on, but it was better than the nothingness of the pitch black.

_Wait, that was movement!_ he thought. He grabbed the commander's shoulder to inform him of what he'd seen. The hesitation conveyed the commander's concern that Neelix's fear might have conjured up the thought of something. Neelix for a moment questioned himself. No, this wasn't his mind's eye playing tricks. His gut feeling was telling him otherwise. He insisted that he'd seen the commander, and they moved down the corridor slowly. As he heard the breathing, he felt a touch vindicated that his mind hadn't been playing tricks, but a touch of fear and concern was seeping in.

As they turned the corridor and the light revealed the alien, which then charged them, Neelix's fight or flight response kicked in. Then, the alien reeled as an orange beam struck it. Neelix turned to see who had fired the weapon.

Tracking the running alien, was the one person Neelix had wanted to see – Captain Janeway. He'd only raised his concern at the briefing recently.

"Follow me."

_ To the ends of the universe, Captain!_ Drawing strength from the fact that she was once again leading, peace settled over him. Everything would be fine now. "Yes, ma'am," was all he said, but the feeling beneath it went far deeper than those words could ever carry.

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_AN: I'm debating on continuing with other characters, or leaving it as is. Suggestions are welcome_,_ as are reviews. I admit I'm out of practice in my fiction writing, so kindly keep any flames to a minimum._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

_Author's Note: The two reviews I've had thus far want longer and more. So far, I've merely explored another person's viewpoint. As for making it longer to include more of the crew's reactions to her isolation, maybe. I'm exploring that in my head. I'm desperately searching for a beta reader who's intimately familiar with the canon and tough as nails on grammar and plot development, but can serve as a sounding board to help me work my way out of plot corners or frazzled plot lines. If I find one, I've got nine stories in the various stages of incomplete ranging from outline to mostly written except for the end (yes, I wrote myself into an inconvenient spot).  
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B'Elanna**

Engineering was less controlled chaos than usual. They had a tweaked and efficient engine, not so much as a sonic showerhead on the ship malfunctioning, and yet everything had stopped. B'Elanna had a split second of thought as she ran to try to get a decent view of the injector ports that light really was a physiological thing. More true fear kicked in the dark. With morale as lousy as it had been, that extra fear was not needed and not welcome.

As she shinned her light toward the correct place, she cursed inwardly. The injector ports were barely visible with the wrist beacons. She heard the doors being forced opened; hopefully bringing more assistance and more people carrying lights so they could discern the problem.

What she didn't expect was one of the two reasons the crew morale had plummeted to answer her plea. The mood of the room changed dramatically at the sound of her voice. Then again, with a ship in possible danger, Captain Janeway couldn't do any less than respond. She even came with the right kind of help they needed. It was almost enough to put a dent in the melancholy she'd been feeling for months. Snapping out orders to hook up the power cell, a small sense of normal took over. Emergencies could be dealt with.

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As always, this humble author loves reviews. I've altered my account to accept unsigned ones, so you aren't required to be a member._


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